Car-coupling



2 SheetsSheet l.

(No Model E. W. KELLEY.

GAR COUPLING. No. 568,952. Patented Oct. 6, 1896,

WITNESSES. //\/\/E/\/ TUR- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. W. KELLEY. GAR OOUPLING. No, 568,952. Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

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1 i l 5 t WIT \IESEEE- v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD W. KELLEY, OF LOXVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR- COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,952, dated October 6, 1896.

Application fil d March 3, 1896. Serial No. 581,705. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car-body provided with a coupling embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of two opposed couplings, the knuckle of one being shown as closed and locked and the knuckle of the other as open. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the drawheads, the coupling-knuckle being removed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 4 4c of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking-block, and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the actuator rod or shaft on which the locking-block is supported. Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the actuator rod and locking-block on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a vertical section illustrating a modification of my invention. Fig. 9 is a detail in perspective of the swinging support or retainer for holding the locking-block in its raised position and the projection on the outside of the draw-head with which it engages.

My invention relates to that class of carcouplings broadly known as the knuckle type, wherein each of the couplings is a counterpart of the other, the knuckle or coupling member of each being pivoted to turn inward on its axis to interlock with the like member of the opposed coupling, means being provided to automatically lock the.

knuckle in closed position; and my invention relates particularly to an improvement on the car-coupling for which Letters Patent of the United States, No. 520,601, were granted to me May 20, 1894, the object of my present invention being to simplify and improve the construction of the automatic mechanism for locking the coupling member'when closed, whereby the coupling is rendered more efiective in its operation, its strength and durability increased, and its cost reduced.

To this end my invention consists in the combinatiomwith an interiorlyrecessed drawhead, of a coupling-knuckle pivoted in and.

closing the entrance to said recess and provided with a tail projecting thereinto, a pivotally-supported locking-block in the recess adapted to automatically move into position against the tail of and to lock the knuckle, and a pivoted support or retainer connected with said locking-block and adapted to engage the draw-head to hold the locking-block out of engagement with the coupling-knuckle, said.

retainer being so hung that it will be tripped to release the locking-block by the force of the concussion produced by the contact of two opposed drawheads, as hereinafter set forth.

My invention also consists in certain other HOWfil features and details of construction, as hereinafter set forth and specifically claimed.

In the said drawings, A represents a portion of a car-body to which the draw-head B is attached, the said head having a knuckleinclosing jaw B at one side, the other side being enlarged at B and interiorly recessed at a, as seen at Figs. 2, 4, and 7. The front vertical face of the draw-head is completely closed from the jaw B to the entrance a of the recess, the outer side of the head forming the outer wall a of the recess a, as seen in Fig. 2. The sides of the entrance to of the recess are concaved, as shown in Fig. 2, to receive the cylindrical portion of the hub c of the coupling-knuckle (3, so that the entrance is completely closed whether the knuckle is open or closed, to thereby prevent access of dirt or snow, &c., to the recess a.

Two opposed draw-heads areshown in Fig. 2, the construction of each being the same, but the operating parts being shown in different positions, and hereinafter the'drawhead at the left of said figure, in which the knuckle is open, will be designated as B, and the opposed draw-head at the right, with the knuckle closed and looked, as 13 the other parts in each case being designated by like letters. The knuckle is held in place by a vertical pivot or pin 0, extended into the draw-head, said pivot, as herein shown, having a retaining-head 10, by which it may be lifted out when desired to remove the knuckle. Extending rearwardly from the hub c is a tail 0, resting upon the bottom of the recess a and adapted to sweep around within said recess when the knuckle O is turned on its pivot. The inner face of the tail 0 is preferably concaved, as shown at 0 Fig. 4, to receive the end of the locking-block when locked. A locking-block Z2, shown separately in Fig. 5, has a slightly-convexed end 1), adapted to bear against the concaved portion 0 of the knuckle-tail described when the coupling-knuckle is locked and in the position shown in the draw-head B Fig. 3. The locking-block has an opening therethrough to receive the shank d of an actuator B, (shown separately in Fig. 6,) the inner end of the shank being flattened, as at d, to enter the similarlyshaped end I) of the opening in the locking-block b to rotate it, the actuator pivot-ally supporting the block in the recess a of the draw-head and also serving to move it to unlock the knuckle when the opposed draw-heads are to be uncoupled.

Suitable bearings are made in the drawhead for the head 20 and for the shank d of the actuator, as shown in Fig. 7 and by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the head having an annular recess (1 to receive the legs of a staple-like fastener 6, the legs of which enter suitable holes in the draw-head intersecting the bearing and straddle the head of the actuator to prevent accidental withdrawal thereof. The head 12 of the fastener 6 is of sufficient size to cover the holes which receive its legs, thereby excluding water therefrom.

The head of the actvator has an eye 3 therein, to which an operating-rod 5 may be attached, said rod extending to the side of the car, as shown in Fig. 1, and this rod 5 is pro vided with an arm (1 having an eye '7 for attachment to an operating rod or wire 8, extending to the roof of the car, so that the actuator may be rocked in its bearings either from the side or top of the car.

hen the coupling-knuckle C is in its locked position, its tail 0 will occupy its eX- treme outer position in the recess a, as in the draw-head B Fig. 2, and the locking-block b will have turned downward until its convex end I) rests against the face 0 of the tail 0 thus preventing rotative movement of the knuckle on its pivot c. To unlock the knuckle, it is only necessary to turn the actpator until the locking-block is in the raised position, (shown in Fig. 4,) at which time the tail of the knuckle can freely pass under the locking-block when the knuckle is turned outward.

In order to retain the locking-block in its raised or inoperative position out of contact with the tail 0 of the coupling-knuckle in such manner that it will be released by the force of the concussion produced by the contact of the two opposed draw-heads and permitted to move into locking position when the knuckle is closed, I provide the actuator B with a lateral arm or extension f, of the form shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and within a circular recess f in the inner face of its outer end is pivoted a swinging support or retainer D, Fig. 3, the lower depending end of which is provided with a shoulder 15, adapted when the arm is swung upward by the rocking of the actuator B to engage and rest upon a projection 7t, formed on the out-' side of the draw-head, as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 9, and when two opposed drawheads are brought into contact with each other to effect the coupling of the cars with which they are connected the force of the concussion produced bysuch contact will instantly dislodge the retainer D from its'seat on the projection 72,, when the locking-block will instantly drop down automatically byits own gravity into locking position, with its end I) resting against the face 0 of the tail 0 thus positively locking the knuckle, as shown in the draw-head B Fig. 2, the knuckle having been moved inward by the impact of the vertical front face of the opposed drawhead.

The shoulder 15 of the pivoted retainer D is preferably made slightly convex to fit the correspondingly-concaved seat of the projection h, thereby preventing accidental dislodgment, but the pivotal point of the retainer is so placed with respect to the projection h as to insure the retainer being thrown oif its seat by the force of the usual concussion which occurs when two drawheads are brought into contact with each other in the act of coupling.

The opening 1? in the bottom of the recess f, Fig. 3, through which the retainer D passes, is only of sufficient length to permit of the necessary swinging movement of said reengagement of the retainer with its seat on the projection h at all times and under all conditions of weather.

To uncouple two cars, the actuator of one of the couplings is turned to lift the lockingblock into the position shown in Fig. 4, and when the cars are separated the knuckle of the opposed coupling will sweep past the released knuckle, throwing the latter into open position, read yto be coupled, when desired, to another car.

lVhile both knuckles may be unlocked, it is necessary to unlock only one, and in coupling'two cars only one knuckle may be open or both may be.

- The presence of the brakeman between the cars in coupling or uncoupling is entirely unnecessary to the proper operation of my invention, as will be evident from the foregolng.

Vhenever the locking-block is moved into inoperative position it is automatically rctained in such position out of contact with the tail of the coupling-knuckle until the support or retainer D is automatically tripped by the force of the concussion produced by the contact of the two opposed draw-heads, as before described, or by the trainman, who can at any time throw the retainer D off its seat on the projection h and permit the lockingblock to drop into locking posit-ion. This is a great advantage not possessed by my aforesaid patented coupling, which will be particularly appreciated by trainmen for the following reasons; if the trainman by mistake raises the locking-block to uncouple two cars not intended to be uncoupled and discovers his error before the cars have been drawn apart, he can at once trip the retainer D and thereby cause the locking-block to again drop into position to lock the coupling-knuckle, no separation of the cars being necessary, whereas with the construction described in my aforesaid patent, No. 520,601, it would be impossible to release the locking-block until the coupling-knuckle had been thrown open by separating the cars, which would then have to be again brought together to effect the coupling. Consequently much inconvenience, annoyance, and delay may be avoided by my improved construction. It will be seen that the coupling-knuckle'has no connection whatever with the locking-block retaining and releasing mechanism, the movements of these parts being entirely independent of each other.

In Fig. 8 is shown a modification of my invention in which the support or retainer D, instead of being connected indirectly to the locking-block through the medium of the actuator B is connected directly to the locking-block by pivoting it Within a groove or recess 18, formed therein as shown. In this case the shoulder 15 of the retainer, D when raised, engages a suitable seat or surface on the inside of the coupling-head, and is dislodged therefrom to release the locking-block in the same manner as previously described for the outside retainer. \Vhen arranged inside, as shown in Fig. 8, the retainer is provided with a tail is, which extends out through an openin gin the coupling-head into a position where it can be conveniently reached by the brakeman whenever he desires to trip the locking-block.

My improved coupling possesses few parts, is of extreme simplicity of construction and effective in its operation, and has no screwbolts or nuts to become loose or lost or springs to become broken.

The knuckles are provided with link-receiving holes 22, whereby they are adapted to be used with an ordinary link-and-pin coupling. The direction of the pull is substantially in the longitudinal axis of the draw-head, and

the knuckles interlock sufficiently to securely hold. while permitting the rocking due to curves. Should the draw-head break or become detached from the car, as sometimes happens, it would be suspended by the wire or rod 8 and so prevented from falling onto the track, the fastening device 6 holding the actuator in its place in the draw-head.

My invention is not restricted to the precise arrangement and construction of parts as herein shown, as the same may be altered or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with an interiorly-recessed draw-head, of a coupling-knuckle pivoted in and closing the entrance to said re cess and provided with a tail projecting thereinto, a pivotally-supported locking-block in the recess adapted to automatically move into position against the tail of and to lock the knuckle, and a pivoted support or retainer connected with said locking-block and adapted to engage the draw-head to hold the locking-block out of engagement with the coupling-knuckle, said retainer being so hung that it will be tripped to release the locking-block by the force of the concussion produced by the contact of the two opposed draw-heads, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an interiorly-recessed draw-head, of a coupling-knuckle pivoted in and closing the entrance to said recess and provided with a tail projecting thereinto, a pivotally-supported locking-block in the recess adapted to automatically move into position against the tail of and to lock the knuckle, an externallyoperated actuator upon which said block is supported and by which it is turned to raise it out of the path of the kn uckle-tail, and a support or retainer pivoted to the actuator and adapted to engage a projection on the exterior surfaceof the draw-head, to hold the locking-block in inoperative position, said retainer being so hung that it will be tripped to release the locking-block by the force of the concussion produced by the contact of the two opposed draw-heads, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an interiorly-recessed draw-head, of a coupling-knuckle pivoted in and closing the entrance to said re; cess and provided with a tail projecting thereinto, a pivotally-supported locking-block in the recess adapted to automatically move into posit-ion against the tail of and to lock the knuckle, an externally operated actuator upon which said block is supported and by which it is turned to raise it out of the path of the knuckle-tail, said actuator having a head provided with a lateral extension, a support or retainer pivoted to said extension and having a shoulder at its lower end adapted to engage aprojection on the exterior surface of the draw-head to hold the locking-block in a raised position out of engagement with I the knuckle tail and permit of its being W'itness my hand this 29th day of February, tripped by the trainman to lock the coupling- A. D. 1896. knuckle, said pivoted retainer being so hung ED\VARD W. KELLEY. that it will be tripped to release the locking- 5 block by the force of the concussion produced In presence of by the contact of the two opposed draw-heads, P. E. TESCHEMACHER, substantially as described. B. L. MARDEN. 

